Letter from Fallujah.

November 12, 2004 12:46 PM

Letter from Fallujah. From an anonymous Army medic's journal entry.
posted by insomnia_lj (40 comments total)

here is the full text of the post in question. My apologies to linking to where I have archived the letter in question. Please do not direct link to the letter, as I can't make any promises as to what my bandwidth will allow.
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I was going to write an entry about this, but it left me before I could. This is a very personal letter, but I feel the need to share, everyone should know. Feel free to re-post

- - -,

Thank you for that passage. It really was beautiful in its imagery. I kinda needed to hear something reassuring and that was very timely.

I just have come back from Fallujah. I volunteered for that mission and let me tell you, that I think i will be a pacifist fopr the rest of my life. The carnage and destruction that just builds on itself is staggering. It's a like a free-for-all for everyone. Buildings gutted and trees splintered. Sharp sounds of gunfire rapping like some loud morse code. The assaults themselves feel very organized however, and almost seems like an unfair match as the enemy is always retreating and firing.

Hah. The enemy, who is the enemy? The enemy is just other people. Mostly is people who are seeing their way of life destroyed and have no one left to live for, no job left to work at, no family to protect. They are always young men and when captured talk as if all hope has left them, as if life itself was so meaningless that they choose to play the Russian Roulette that fighting against the Marines really is.

The assault itself was to the East of us and we were (among others) the flanking diversionary tactic. We got the initial fire and mortars as the main force sweeps through the city. It's very noisy. Tanks and armored trucks. Sporadic fire after the curfew and whenever the main force encounters a defensive position. We got our own share of scares and I shot my weapon to kill for the second time in my life. The thought of that itself really chills my blood. I have different values than that, but when things are extreme, I guess your true values come out and mine is that I value my own life over anyone else's. In my own defense, I was thinking about home and the other soldiers with me as we got pinned down by indirect fire. Then, surprinsingly, I thought of nothing. My mind was blank as I could never get it and it was the closest thing I ever experienced to a mental blank slate. Funny, isn't?

I came back really dirty and it started raining on the way back. On our stop in Camp Kalsu we all got out and re-fueled our vehicles. The rain soaked us and it felt good but cold. I didn't care that it was cold, it was like taking a shower after something dirty has touched you. I smoked a cigarette too and I don't even smoke.

I dunno how this letter for thanks turned into this. All I can say is that your passage inspired me to download some of the words that have been plaguing me for the past few hours. If you don't mind, I'll post this as my entry. But, really thank you.

------

>From: (deleted)
>To: [e-mail]
>Subject: (no subject)
>Date: Thu, 11 Nov 2004 13:18:48 EST
>
>For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower
>falls, and its beauty perishes. So will the rich man fade away in the midst
>of his pursuits. Blessed is the man who endures trial, for when he has stood
>the test he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who
>love him.
>James 1:11-12
>
>
posted by insomnia_lj at 12:49 PM on November 12, 2004

Why do you need to cut and paste the whole thing? Isn't that the point of linking?
posted by Seth at 12:53 PM on November 12, 2004

Seth -

I linked to a screenshot of the post, as I thought it necessary to have a link that would prove its authenticity. That said, I would much rather read ASCII text -- and encourage others to share this with ASCII text -- than encourage people to link to the screenshot in question. I'd rather not pay anything extra for bandwidth, if I can avoid it.

I would link directly to the journal, but it was a private entry and I don't want to jeopardize the soldier's career.
posted by insomnia_lj at 12:54 PM on November 12, 2004

"MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!"

Um yeah, sure.

Its times like these that I'm profoundly glad that the military made it such a pain in the ass to enlist back when I actually wanted to.
posted by fenriq at 1:01 PM on November 12, 2004

The enemy is just other people.

heh. L'enfer c'est vous autres.
posted by matteo at 1:01 PM on November 12, 2004

What an awful situation they're in over there... and by they I mean everyone.
posted by cell divide at 1:04 PM on November 12, 2004

Vietnam
posted by Pretty_Generic at 1:08 PM on November 12, 2004

I seem to recall someone saying something about us not nation building..... Who said that?
posted by a3matrix at 1:15 PM on November 12, 2004

What a crazy world, where someone can be in a warzone in the morning and posting on their LiveJournal a few hours later.
posted by smackfu at 1:17 PM on November 12, 2004

Our President.

ARLINGTON : President George W. Bush paid tribute to US troops taking part in the offensive in the Iraqi city of Fallujah, in a speech Thursday honouring all of America's war veterans.

Without specifically naming Fallujah, Bush said that "some of tomorrow's veterans are in combat in Iraq at this hour.

"They have a clear mission, to defeat the terrorists and aid the rise of a free government that can defend itself. They're performing that mission with skill and with honor. They are making us proud. They are winning," he said at a ceremony at Arlington National Ceremony in the Washington suburbs.

The United States now marks the November 11 anniversary of the World War I armistice in 1918 as Veterans Day for Americans who have fought in any conflict

We are the terrorists, the terrorists are ourselves. How can one win when fighting themselves?

It blanks the mind.

It's made of People!!!

We're made of People!!!11!!
posted by wah at 1:26 PM on November 12, 2004

What a crazy world, where someone can be in a warzone in the morning and posting on their LiveJournal a few hours later.

Where US soldiers can kill everything that moves, but US citizens can't watch "Saving Private Ryan" on teevee because it's...uh..."indecent".
posted by 327.ca at 1:46 PM on November 12, 2004

Where US soldiers can kill everything that moves, but US citizens can't watch "Saving Private Ryan" on teevee because it's...uh..."indecent".

That's a bit incomplete. What I'm getting at is the utter disconnect between what's happening out there in the world and the state of cozy denial being fostered by the current regime.
posted by 327.ca at 1:48 PM on November 12, 2004

Photo Blog: Taking Falluja
posted by Ljubljana at 1:59 PM on November 12, 2004

What an awful situation they're in over there... and by they I mean everyone.

All are suffering, but only some are to blame.
posted by rushmc at 2:07 PM on November 12, 2004

if we wish to share the suffering, we must share the blame. -MoW
posted by wah at 2:17 PM on November 12, 2004

Sorry, this letter just doesn't sound real. There is a grand sum total of *one* "color" reference, "Camp Kalsu", and that's it. Camp Kalsu (google it), is 30 miles South of Bagdad.

http://www.portlandtribune.com/archview.cgi?id=20934

It's a very colorful place. But then again, so is Falluja. But this letter just has some broad, colorless, philosophical statements and *that's it*. Nothing about his being a medic, what must be a harrowing experience. Nothing about the flow of casualties, probably around 200+ by now.

He is so traumatized by the (undescribed) "carnage" he smokes a cigarette.

Several letters have come through from soldiers who didn't like the place, hated what they were doing, generally were confused and upset and distraught and angry. And so far, many of them have sounded very real.

This just does not.
posted by kablam at 2:50 PM on November 12, 2004

What goes around comes around. The USA is going to be home to a lot of very fucked-up young people when their tour of duty ends. War is always very difficult on the surviving soldiers. It's going to be worse when the survivors were in a bullshit war against a bunch of civilians.
posted by five fresh fish at 2:54 PM on November 12, 2004

Sorry, this letter just doesn't sound real.

It is written by one who has just become unreal. It certainly seems like that to me.
posted by wah at 3:06 PM on November 12, 2004

The US has been forced to pull troops out of Fallujah to fight growing insurgency in other Iraqi cities

More at Raed's blog.
posted by homunculus at 3:08 PM on November 12, 2004

"Iraqis will never forgive this- never. It's outrageous- it's genocide and America, with the help and support of Allawi, is responsible. May whoever contributes to this see the sorrow, terror and misery of the people suffering in Falloojeh."

"People in Falloojeh are being murdered. The stories coming back are horrifying. People being shot in cold blood in the streets and being buried under tons of concrete and iron... where is the world? Bury Arafat and hurry up and pay attention to what's happening in Iraq"

"I want them to know about conditions inside this city - there are dead women and children lying on the streets...."


think we created any new terrorists this week? huh bushies? i thought we were "liberating" iraq?
posted by specialk420 at 4:40 PM on November 12, 2004

"sorry, this letter just doesn't sound real."

I know for a fact that it *is* real.

The guy is a member of the 181st Support Battalion. I know several of his personal friends through his journal, and he is definitely legit. He even wrote once about his unit taking a casualty, before it was even reported to the press.

As for why I know about these kinds of posts, it is because I have a lot of friends who are soldiers. Earlier this year, I created a private online community for people in Iraq. It has since expanded to over 70 members. As a result, I am in regular contact with many people there, and feed stories and information to people such as Juan Cole, Cory Doctorow, Atrios, Raed Jarrar, and Riverbend.

If you're still going to accuse me of making up stuff, however, I would be fine with showing a neutral party such as Matt proof of this.

Basically, I helped manage LJ, I jumpstarted their international communities, and I know a lot about the site... so when the war came, I decided to create a community for Iraq.
posted by insomnia_lj at 5:50 PM on November 12, 2004

good for you insomnia.
posted by specialk420 at 6:21 PM on November 12, 2004

i just caught the noxious martha raddatz on washinton weekly (pbs) compare the blood bath in falluja to the video game "whack a mole" and chuckle ... i almost threw my tv out the back door. what a pig.
posted by specialk420 at 6:31 PM on November 12, 2004

Auugh! Why is our military so damn culturally ignorant?

For those Christians out there, let me sum this picture up in equivalent cultural terms:

Imagine if you saw numerous Islamic terrorists inside a heavily damaged church in America.

Stained glass windows were shattered...

Bibles, pews, and crosses were stacked into a cherry, glowing bonfire...

...and Zarqawi was off in the corner, pissing in the holy water.
posted by insomnia_lj at 6:42 PM on November 12, 2004

why stop now:

"while you are reading this and enjoying the silence in your houses and offices, people in Falluja are dying and burning, screaming, 12 000 soldiers are trained and sent to kill them, for no crime except that they have pride, except that they wouldn't accept to be occupied, except that they swear to live with honor, and die with honor..."
posted by specialk420 at 6:53 PM on November 12, 2004

It's not at all unusual for military personnel to shelter in churches, either, and behave as you described, insomnia_lj. War is, as General Sherman said, "all hell".

And, of course, Hamas gunmen recently holed up in one of the world's oldest Christian churches.
posted by Sidhedevil at 7:09 PM on November 12, 2004

Thank goodness the US Army lives up to the standard of Hamas!
posted by five fresh fish at 7:20 PM on November 12, 2004

I think just in terms of feeling, holing up in your own holy places is a lot better then taking over other people's/


but in any case, i know what you mean on one level, LJ, but cultural sensitivity doesn't really have a place when you're taking over a city in urban warfare.

when I see stuff like that, I think "why are they even there" not about their manners. They're trying to survive in a hostile environment, and probably just took out people who were shooting at them from the mosque. so i dont care if they didn't take their shoes off... it's beyond that.
posted by cell divide at 7:48 PM on November 12, 2004

This war is stupid.
posted by interrobang at 10:38 PM on November 12, 2004

A history lesson about the town we are currently destroying.
posted by homunculus at 10:56 PM on November 12, 2004

If chilling in the mosque with shoes on isn't culturally sensitive, how about storing weapons caches in the mosque or firing sniper rifles out of them?

We may not be the good guys but we're certainly the "less bad" guys.
posted by b_thinky at 10:58 PM on November 12, 2004

It's not just the "shoes-on" issue, b_thinky. As insomnia_lj said:

Imagine if you saw numerous Islamic terrorists inside a heavily damaged church in America.

Stained glass windows were shattered..

Imagine that. We're supposedly trying to win over the hearts of these people. They see these images, too. insomnia's hyperbole aside about burning and pissing, imagine the above. That shoe-stuff is completely immaterial.
posted by interrobang at 11:15 PM on November 12, 2004

Here's the complete piece T. E. Lawrence wrote from Fallujah in 1920. It was discussed in this thread.
posted by homunculus at 11:40 PM on November 12, 2004

I think I understand the issue, interrobang. Places of worship are considered sacred and it's blasphemous to disrespect them or use them in ways they weren't intended to be used.

But when you use a mosque or church for something other than worship, it becomes just a building. The insurgents in Fallujah have used them to store weapons, shoot at Americans, treat their wounded and as shelter while they fight. They do the same with hospitals.

Maybe they do this because these are the largest, most centrally located and logistically sensible locations. Or more probably, they use them because they know Americans will be reluctant to attack them there - and if they do get attacked there, it can be used as positive PR on their side (see, those evil Americans will even blow up mosques and hospitals!).

If you don't believe the insurgents are using the "sacred" status of these buildings to their advantage, you're kidding yourself. It's costing our side lives and at this point, we can't afford the losses (if we ever could).
posted by b_thinky at 12:04 AM on November 13, 2004

The sad truth about the Fallujah operation is that, coming immediately after Bush's re-election, its main purpose is to serve as an object lesson on American resolve to the Saudis, Iranians, Syrians, etc.

I wish that the requirements of geopolitics weren't so bleak, but there you go. The silver lining on the cloud is that the pacification of Fallujah will make it less likely we're going to have to pacify Tehran or Damascus, unless people have totally lost their minds over there.
posted by MattD at 4:52 AM on November 13, 2004

not sorry. nice bunch.
posted by specialk420 at 7:52 AM on November 13, 2004

But when you use a mosque or church for something other than worship, it becomes just a building.

Not to the civilians the US was formerly trying to liberate.
posted by Space Coyote at 4:38 PM on November 13, 2004

The silver lining on the cloud is that the pacification of Fallujah will make it less likely we're going to have to pacify Tehran or Damascus, unless people have totally lost their minds over there.

We simply do not have the troops to do that. We would have to draw down our forces in Afghanistan and Iran--and all these horrors stem from the fact we did not and do not have enough troops on the ground in country to provide the citizens there security--to mount any military operations in Syria or Iran. We would be occupying Iraq with even fewer troops and imgaine how even more hellish that would be for the Iraqis.

This sets aside the fact that not one country in the world save Israel--not even Blair's Britain would back us--would be on our side, Mr. Big Talk, if we made a military move against either Syria or Iran.
posted by y2karl at 5:02 PM on November 13, 2004

I look forward to reading this letter more clearly once it's debunked at snopes.com.
posted by darren at 11:12 AM on November 14, 2004

I look forward to that sentence making some sense once Babelfish provides a Gibberish to English function.
posted by y2karl at 11:49 AM on November 14, 2004